Little Owls nursery transfers to save Leeds City Council over £600,000

Leeds City Council has approved the transfer of two Little Owls nurseries to new providers, saving upwards of £600,000.

Transcript

00:00Leeds City Council has said a full and rigorous review of Little Owls nurseries has been undertaken,

00:06with the transfer of two nurseries to new providers now confirmed.

00:11Sweet Peas Daycare and Teaching Ltd and Sunshine Community Nursery Ltd have now been approved

00:17to take over the management of Rothwell Little Owls and Shepherds Lane Little Owls and Chapeltown, respectively.

00:23The transfer of power comes after three sites were shut last year,

00:27and 12 more placed under review as part of a major Leeds City Council cost-cutting drive

00:32to tackle a projected £273m budget black hole over five years.

00:38Meanwhile, after failing to find satisfactory alternative providers,

00:42the Council has announced they will retain responsibility for six remaining sites

00:45at Bramley, Meanwood, Burley Park, City & Holbeck, Hunslet, Ralstone and Osmanthorpe.

00:52This is in addition to the nine sites the Council committed to retaining at the outset,

00:56with discussions continuing with St Mary's CE Primary School

01:00and its potential interest in Hunslet St Mary's Little Owls.

01:04As part of the review, an exercise seeking interest from alternative high-quality providers

01:09was carried out, along with continuing engagement and consultation with families, staff and partners.

01:15It's estimated that the transfer of the two nurseries will earn Leeds City Council

01:19in-year savings of approximately £124,000 in the 2025-2026 year,

01:26and a full-year saving of approximately £497,000 in 2026-2027 onwards.

01:34Sweet Peas Daycare and Sunshine Community will also enter into a 10-year lease for the Council,

01:39bringing in a combined potential rental income for both sites of £72,000 per year.